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Just as it is across the globe, Plastic Free July is a big deal for Acuva Technologies.

Last year, more than 120 million people in 177 countries took part in the challenge to reduce plastic waste, with a global IPSOS survey revealing that nearly a third of respondents were aware of the campaign, and almost half of those chose to take part. At the same time, a recent Globe and Mail story reveals that 56 percent of Canadians surveyed support a total ban on single-use plastics.

One of Plastic Free July’s most popular and prominent tips involves using reusable water bottles to avoid single-use plastic. Across most of Canada, where clean drinking water flows freely and safely from public taps and drinking fountains, this is a perfectly viable option. But what about those countries where water isn’t always safe to drink? What about those parts of Canada where boil-water advisories are still in effect? What about the more than 2 billion people who, according to the World Health Organization, consume contaminated water?

That’s where Acuva comes in. Our Arrow and Eco systems have provided safe drinking water to many recreational Marine and RV customers, as well as remote and off-grid homes. They can trust the water from their taps, knowing that is has been safely treated with UV. It makes for a much more convenient and sustainable alternative to carrying single-use plastic water bottles during their travels.

In addition, our Strike platform ensures health and safety by purifying drinking water with microbial disinfection rates as high as 99.9999 percent. Its slim and compact form-factor enables easy integration into a wide array of consumer and commercial OEM appliances, including water coolers, dispensers and fountains.

In the Philippines, for instance, we are playing a leading role in the provision of safe drinking water and the reduction of plastic waste. In March, we partnered with the country’s largest manufacturer of drinking fountains and water dispensers, Kooler Industries, to help protect the health and safety of everyone who uses the thousands of Kooler units in schools, shopping malls, restaurants, factories and resorts. The initial order of 5,000 UV-LED water disinfection modules is helping Filipinos prevent an estimated 6 billion bottles from ending up in garbage dumps and landfills — and in the stomachs of whales and other wildlife — by turning to safe water fountains instead of single-use containers.

Every step forward matters. Global consumption of bottled water is growing by as much as 10 percent each year, with an estimated 35 billion plastic bottles being landfilled, littered, or incinerated instead of recycled. This puts unnecessary stress on landfills and the environment while wasting upwards of $1 billion worth of reusable plastic, which take up to 700 years to decompose.

With just one Acuva system capable of eliminating as many as 1.2 million plastic water bottles over its lifetime, we are proud to be making a difference in the war against plastic waste. At the same time, organizations like Ban the Bottle are committed to eliminating the production and circulation of plastic water bottles. Check out its website, which is full of facts, tools, and resources to help you take action.

On that note, we encourage innovation-minded original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) operating in this industry in developing countries — or anywhere else for that matter — to connect with us by calling 1-800-980-8810 or emailing info@acuvatech.com.